1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector arrangement having a covering element and a joint portion, wherein the joint portion can be engaged with the covering element to form a floating adjustment space there-between so that any height difference within the electrical connector assembly parts due to welding can be effectively compensated.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the rapid advancement in computer and information technologies, nowadays desktop and notebook computers are very popular. Further, the need for smaller, thinner and compact, and faster electronic devices are greatly demanded in the present market. Electrical connectors are connected to a variety of circuit board, for example a memory chip module, for saving, transmitting and/or retrieving electronic data signals. Accordingly, smaller and compact connectors in computers are highly desirable meeting the market demand. The connectors in computers usually welded to the motherboard or interface card using a SMT (surface mounting technology), in this manner that there is no need to drill a hole for fitting signal contacts, thus a space occupation on the circuit board can be reduced. However, when a height difference during the welding phase or welding point formed while welding an adaptor using SMT is over the allowed range occurs, it causes biasing of the connector thus a reliable connection between the connector and the circuit board cannot be achieved.
Referring to FIG. 15, illustrates a conventional socket A comprising a plurality of signal contacts A2 within a groove A1 formed which is disposed in a central region of the socket A, and on each ends of the socket A comprises a slot A3. A latching element B is slid into the slot A3 in order to detachably attach to the socket A. The latching element B comprises a positioning element B1 and a resilient element B2. The positioning arm B1 comprises a welding portion B11 disposed at a bottom edge, bent inwardly. The signal contacts A2 of the socket A, and the welding portion B11 of the latching element B are welded onto the predetermined positions. Nevertheless, assembly of the above-mentioned socket A and the latching elements B, a height difference between three contact points, namely, the signal contacts A2 and the two welding portions B11, with respect to a horizontal plane will invariably occur. The height difference allows only two contact points to come in contact with a circuit board, and the third contact point is raised in an upper position. Therefore, good connectivity cannot be achieved by using tin solution in the general welding process because the tin solution does not have a good extensity. Thus, a space formed at the welding point between the raised contact and the circuit board cannot be filled up using the tin solution in order to electrically connect the circuit board to a raised contact point. As a result this causes defects of the device and thus the reliability of the device is poor. Furthermore, when the memory chip module is obliquely pushed into the inner groove A1 of the socket A, the inner groove A1 is used as an axis to press the memory chip module downwardly, as a result, the edge of the memory chip module directly presses against the bulking block B21 which is positioned on an inner side of the resilient arms B2 attached to two sides of the latching element B, to securely buckle the edge of the memory chip module buckling to the base side surface of buckling block B21. Although this design can buckle the memory chip module, however as the memory chip module is forced in between the resilient arms B2, the resilient arms B2 presses against the sides of the memory chip module due to the inertial property and the plastic material which causes the resilient arms B2 to bend inwardly, while a bottom face of the memory chip module directly presses against the buckling block B21. Accordingly, the space available for memory chip module to buckle on to buckling block B21 of resilient arm B2 is small and therefore the fitting of the memory chip module between the two resilient arms B2 is poor. When the memory chip module is shaken due to some external force, for example during maintenance, the memory chip module will easily come loose from the latching element B and get disconnected from the socket A.
Further, when the size of the buckling block B21 of the resilient arms B2 of the latching element B is enlarged in an attempt to secure buckling of the memory chip module, as the memory chip module is pressed downwardly against the buckling block B21, the two resilient arms B2 will be forced outwardly or downwardly causing fracture or even break the resilient arms B2.
Accordingly, in the view of the foregoing, the present inventor makes a detailed study of related art to evaluate and consider, and uses years of accumulated experience in this field, and through several experiments, to create a new electrical connector for attaching a circuit board of the present invention. The present invention provides an innovated electrical connector for providing reliable electrical connections between the circuit board and the connector using SMT and for fastening or releasing a circuit board, which can effectively prevent the circuit board from coming loose and disconnected from the electrical connector by an unwanted external force.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector arrangement for providing reliable electrical connections between a circuit board and the connector using SMT.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having arrangement that allows the buckling arm of the electrical connector to move up and down within a floating adjustment space, thus a height difference between the socket and buckling arm due to welding can be effectively compensated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having two resilient arms with sufficient buckling space for securely buckling a circuit board and to provide a proper electrical connection between the electrical connector and the circuit board.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having two resilient arms with sufficient buckling space for securely buckling a circuit board and effectively preventing the circuit board from coming loose and disconnected from the electrical connector by an unwanted external force.
In order to achieve the above objects and other advantages of the present invention, a connector for connecting a circuit of the present invention comprises a housing composed of an insulation material, a socket and two buckling arms detachably attached to two ends of the socket. The socket comprises a groove in a central region, and a row of signal contacts within the groove for attaching and electrically connecting with the circuit board. At two ends of the socket comprise two buckling elements. Each of the buckling elements comprises a buckling groove on a groove side and positioned adjacent to the groove. The socket is constructed from an insulation material. Each of the buckling arms comprises an insertion portion for engaging with each of the buckling groove of the socket, a plurality of gears disposed at a bottom edge of the insertion portion. A resilient arm and a base plate extend along the same direction from the insertion portion. The resilient arm comprises an arch-shaped structure biasing inwardly on a side and a securing element extending downwardly. The securing element comprises a pad clamps inwardly around two sides of the securing element. A distal end of the base plate comprises a positioning element folded inwardly. A lower edge of the base comprises a joint portion bent inwardly fitted having a hook buckling groove on its two opposite sides. A covering element comprising a fitting space with a buckling hook disposed extendedly on two opposite sides of the fitting space, and a through hole is disposed on a surface of a bottom of the covering element.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the insertion portion of the buckling arm are inserted into the buckling grooves of the socket and securely positioned with the gears securing the insertion portion of the buckling arm within the buckling grooves and preventing from slipping out.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the covering element is engaged with the joint portion of the buckling arm by inserting the joint portion into the fitting space of covering element until the edge of the joint portion comes in contact and presses against the buckling hook of the covering element pushing the buckling hook outwardly and the buckling hook readily deforms due to its elastic property as the edge of the joint portion passes through between the buckling hook, then the buckling hook returns to its original shape due to its elastic nature and buckles the hook buckling groove of the joint portion for substantially securing into position and form a floating adjustment space within the joint portion. This arrangement of the present invention allows the use of SMT to weld the plurality of signal contacts of socket and the bottom face of the covering element onto the predetermined locations of a circuit board, because the floating adjustment space between the covering element and joint portion allows the buckling arm to move up and down within floating adjustment space, thus the height difference between the socket and buckling arm due to welding can be effectively compensated.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a circuit board, for example, a memory chip module, comprises an indentation portion on the two sides for engaging with the securing element of the buckling arm. A plurality of contact elements are disposed on a frontal end of the circuit board wherein each of the contact elements is disposed on a top side, bent to extend on a sidewall and bent to extend on a bottom side of the connecting side. The frontal end of the chip is inserted into the groove of the slot to make an electrical contact with the row of signal contacts for electronic signal transmission. The frontal end of the circuit board is obliquely inserted into the groove of the socket so that the contact elements comes in contact with the row of signal contacts of the socket. Then, using the groove as an axis, the circuit board is pressed downwardly, as a result, the edge of the circuit board is pressed against the arch-shaped structure of resilient arm pushing the resilient arms on the sides outwardly and the circuit board is inserted between the side of base and positioning element. The side of base plate secures the circuit board by pressing against the sides of the circuit board. This condition does not break or make the resilient arms lose its elasticity, the elastic property of the resilient arms allows it to be deformed and extending on the side outwardly as the circuit board is pushed over the arch-shaped structure enabling the pad of resilient arm that is clamped around the securing element for securely buckling the intention portion of the circuit board. In this condition, the securing element is positioned against positioning element of the base plate, and making the contact elements of the circuit board to come in electrical contact with signal contacts inside of groove of the slot.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an aperture is disposed on a surface of the joint portion of buckling arm. A protruded buckling protrusion, which extends inwardly, is disposed on two sides of the aperture. A guiding element is disposed at a bottom surface of the covering element. A buckling block is disposed on two sides of the frontal edge of covering element 3 forming a fitting space. The joint portion of the buckling arm is inserted into fitting space to engage the guiding clement of the covering element into the aperture of the joint portion by pushing forward. In this position, the buckling protrusion of the aperture surrounds the guiding element of the covering element. Meanwhile the joint portion fits into the fitting space within the inner surface of the buckling blocks of the covering element. Thus, the covering element is securely engaged with the joint portion of the buckling arm and forms a floating adjustment space between the covering element and the joint portion. This arrangement of the present invention allows the use of SMT to weld the plurality of signal contacts of socket and the bottom face of the covering element onto the predetermined locations of a circuit board, because the floating adjustment space between the covering element and joint portion allows the buckling arm to move up and down within floating adjustment space, thus the height difference between the socket and buckling arm due to welding can be effectively compensated.
Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.